On Saturday evening, my husband and I felt like sitting somewhere cozy and dim to enjoy an apperativo. We entertained the idea of heading uptown to a hotel bar, but we were on the Vespa and I was freezing so we decided to stick closer to home.

We decided to try Friend of a Farmer on Irving between 18th & 19th. We have eaten outside in the summer, but we had never been upstairs in the colder months. It was just what we were looking for. It felt like we were truly friends of a farmer who invited us to dine in their home.

The drink list was very interesting with cocktails that contained ingredients that are perfect for the season – apple cider, pumpkin, pomegranate, etc. I tried one with cucumbers, lime, red grapes, and gin – it was a little too messy for me since they literally smashed the ingredients on the bottom of the cup so I was primarily drinking seeds. I will just try another drink next time!

The menu is full of fresh ingredients that you would expect to eat on a farm – corn bread, country pie, chicken pot pie. There are also other items that don’t scream FARM but still give you that homey, cozy, warm feeling when you’re eating them.

They even have their own bakery where they use the freshest and finest ingredients to bake hot muffins, cookies, brownies and assorted loaves of bread. Many of their desserts are seasonal, which means you can find the perfect flavor for the time of the year – pumpkin pies and muffins for Thanksgiving, warm apple pie for the cold winter months, and a rotating list of berry pies ranging from Blueberry to Cherry to Three Berry.

My husband and I both want to bring our parents the next time they visit us in NYC – it is the perfect spot to sit for hours while catching up. I like to consider myself a friend of this farmer!